Cushioning pad for packaged articles



Aug.l 2, 1960 T. w. PRESENT CUSHIONING PAD FOR PACKAGED ARTICLES Filed Sept. 26, 1958 5 Ilan..

TN v EAN-O22 THQ/vm s JJPEEQ ENT United States Patent 2,947,459 l cUsnIoNlNG PAD FoR PACKAGED ARTICLES Thomas W. Pregent, Chicago, Ill., assignor to International Harvester Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 26, 1958, Ser. No. 763,536

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-14) This invention relates to a device for packaging articles. More specifically, it relates to a cushioning and supporting pad for packaged articles and to a method for making the same.

Corrugated board and paper are extensively used in the packaging eld. Corrugated boxes, separators, spacers, etc. are used wherever it is desirable to provide suitable shock-absorbing means in packaged units so that fragile materials can be shipped without damage. Corrugated pads also have been utilized in the solution of packaging problems and it is a prime object of this invention to provide an improved packaging pad and a. process for producing the same.

It is a further object to provide a simple, inexpensive pad of corrugated paper board particularly designed to cushion, properly space, and support objects within a package.

A still further object is the provision of an improved resilient type supporting pad having an integral recess formed therein adapted to receive and cushion packaged articles.

A still further object is to provide an improved method of quickly and economically producing cushioning pads for supporting articles.

These and further objects will become more readily apparent from a reading of the specification when examined in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a package having a portion of its wall broken away to show an article and cushioning pads for supporting the article within the package;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a corrugated type packaging Pad;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a packaging pad having a portion broken away to show the interior construction;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional supporting pad showing a on said pad;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a die assembly showing a cushioning'pad supported thereon immediately after the operation of the'die; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a portion of a cushioning pad showing the relationship of adjacent corrugations.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 through 4, a packaged unit is generally designated by the reference char acter 10. The packaged unit 10 may be of any paperboard or cardboard type of construction and contains a pair of spaced cushioning and supporting pads 11 which support a cylindrical object 12 within the package for shipment.

As shown in Fig. 2, the supporting pad 11 comprises essentially an elongated strip 14 of corrugated paper board construction having a plurality of laterally extending corrugations 15 which are conventionally formed of view through a portion of an article supported strip material. As shown in Fig. 2, the strip has an inner end 16 and the strip 14 is wound in spiral fashion having an outer strip 17. As shown in the enlarged view in Fig; 6,` the corrugations 15 of one strip 14 are suitably connected to an adjacent strip 14 by means of an adhesive bond or glue layer designated at 15A. Similarly the ends 16 and 17 are suitably glued to the body of the pad 11 so that an eifective compact arrangement results.

The pad 11 comprises a centrally disposed opening 18. The pad 11 `is provided with axially spaced substantially parallel surfaces 19. These surfaces 19 are formed by the opposite ends of the corrugations '15 and the opposite edges of the strips 14. The pad 11 is provided with an annular recess generally designated at 20 which is spaced inwardly from the peripheral edge of the pad 11. The recess 20 comprises inner side walls 21 and a bottom wall 22. The bottom wall 22, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, are formed by the upper edges of crushed corrugations 23 and adjacent strips 14 which are disposed immediately below the recess 20.

Referring now to Fig. 5, a lower die plate 24 is adapted to be suitably supported on the bed or bolster of a press (not shown). The plate 24 includes a pair of liner openings 25. An upper die plate 26 includes liner pins 27 adapted to register with the openings 25. Also the die plate 26 comprises a forming ring 28. In the method of producing the pads 11 a large sheet of corrugated paper may be initially provided with a suitable glue or adhesive on the flat side of the sheet. The large corrugated sheet can then be placed into the spiral formation as generallyA suggested by the pad shown in Fig. 2. In this position the corrugations and adjacent flat wall are securely glued together and after the glue has dried the roll may be subjected to a shearing operation to shear a plurality of pads of the type shown in Figure 2. Each pad is then placed between the lower and upper die plates 24 and 26 and as the ring 28 is pushed downwardly with the plate 26 it engages one of the surfaces 19 and crushes certain corrugations 23 and strip portions 14 to -form the recess 20. The pad is now removed from the die assembly and can be utilized.

The manner of packaging is shown in Figs. l and 4, wherein the cylindrical object 12 represents an internal combusion engine sleeve. As shown in Fig. 4, the sleeve is adapted to have its lower end nest in the recess 20 and similarly a pad is placed on the top of the sleeve as indicated in Fig. 1. The part is then packaged in the package assembly shown in Fig. l and it can be seen that the sleeve 12 is firmly supported within the package so that its ends will not be damaged and that it cannot move relative to the package during transit.

Thus it is believed that an improved supporting pad anda method of making the same have been disclosed. The objects of the invention, therefore, have been fully achieved and it must be understood that changes and modiiications may be made which do not depart from the spirit of this invention or the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A cushioning and supporting device for supporting i 'Patented Aug. 2., `196e rugations on said pad and axially spaced substantially parallel transversely extending surfaces on said pad, a

first of said surfaces including an annular receiving re-l cess spaced inwardly from the outer peripheral surface 4 j of said pad, said recess having a lower supporting wall beneath the rst surface, said lower wall comprising vertically compacted corrugations.

References Cited in the file of this patent Y UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,611,575 Aulbach Dec. 21, 1926 1,850,714 l Gaylord Mar. 22, 1932 1,852,832 Beaman Apr. 5, 1932 2,728,479

Wheeler Dec. 27, 1955 

